Non-fiction November Wrapup

Non-fiction November is a project run by Olive and Gemma on BookTube (the bookish part of YouTube), and I heard about it via Jen Campbell’s channel. Here is the Goodreads page for the project: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/174090-nonfiction-november-2016

This is the first year I decided to participate. I don’t read much non-fiction, maybe one every couple months, but I decided to make a conscious effort to pick up a couple more. I did unexpectedly well! I started six non-fiction books in November. Confession time, I finished two of those in the first days of December but the Non-fiction November and December wrap-up sounded too bulky. Anywhoodle, mere details. It’s the thought that counts, yada yada yada. 

The first book I picked up was Code Talker by Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila. Chester Nez was one of the original Navajo code talkers, and creators, of the only unbroken code of modern warfare. One of the reasons for this was because the Navajo language – on which the code was based – was largely unwritten, so there wouldn’t have been an easy way to deconstruct the secret language. The memoir chronicles Chester Nez’s childhood and his years as a Marine. It’s fascinating, and reads like a thriller novel; mainly because my education didn’t focus heavily on the battles in Asia. I gave this memoir 4 stars. It’s accessible and not overly wordy. The book deals with war, loss of life, and racism, so it’s not exactly an easy read, but certainly a valuable one.

Then I read one of my favourite books of the year - Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly. You may have heard of this because there is also a film coming out in January. I first heard about this just as the trailer came out and I promptly ordered the book. It seemed important to read the book first in this case. It’s about the African-American women that were working in NACA/NASA, and have largely gone unnoticed in the mainstream coverage of the development of NASA and the space race. It is a beautiful book that follows a few of the women working in NASA after World War II and during the Space Race. They had to work themselves up without the same privileges as others, battling not just gender but also racial inequality. It’s harrowing but wonderful, and deftly deals with the absolutely infuriating casual racism that was running rampant in that era (prisoners of war were served in bars, but not African-American soldiers that fought in the wars). My top non-fiction book of the year.

Then I decided to delve into a celebrity memoir. Is It Just Me? is written by Miranda Hart, who you may know from her TV show Miranda or then Call the Midwife. In this fun book she is in an imaginary dialogue with her younger self, and in doing so offers useful information on, well, adulating in general. It had some great insights and I laughed out loud a lot. It’s a solid three star book – I liked it, but it wasn’t spectacular.

This was followed by a slim adult picture book Lost in Translation. This one shows us 25 untranslatable words from different languages. This is almost a must-read and no doubt a fascinating read for all people who are interested in linguistics, translation, or pretty pictures combined with words ;-). It would also make a great present.

The two books I started in November but finished in December are Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli and Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson. Both were excellent reads. I have forgotten seemingly everything from my high school chemistry and physics lessons, and the Rovelli book was a great refresher. The lessons are brief and meant for the layperson, so they are never too difficult or a trudge to read.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is another memoir. Ms Woodson chronicles her childhood, moving between her life in Ohio, the South, and New York City. It’s beautiful and hard-hitting, and written in absolutely beautiful verse. I cried, I chuckled, and read bits of it out loud. Often.  I would recommend this to aspiring writers, I’m sure they will find a lot to relate to.

And that's it. The main take-away was how much fun I had, and I've found myself paying more attention to non-fiction. I can't wait to continue my adventures in space-related non-fic, for instance. Plus, the Read Harder 2017 challenge is soon upon us and that always helps to expand my reading horizons.